Senator Tim Johnson, Graduate of USD Law School, Announces Plans to Retire

South Dakota Senator Tim Johnson has announced that he will not be running for re-election to the U.S. Senate in 2014. In December 2006 Johnson suffered bleeding in his brain resulting from a congenital defect, the bleeding resulted in slower speech and difficulty with mobility. Senator Johnson successfully ran for re-election to the Senate in 2008 and has never lost any of the 12 elecion races he has been in during his public service career.

Johnson made his announcement at the Neuharth Center on the USD campus on Tuesday, March 26th. He stated he will be 68 at the end of his term, and he has decided it is time for this native Vermillion Senator to retire from public service and to turn his attention elsewhere.

This announcement leaves one of South Dakota's two senate seats open for election in 2014. Speculation has already begun in both parties as to who might seek to fill the vacant seat.

Whoever replaces Mr. Johnson must, by law, be at least 30 years old, a U.S. citizens for at least nine years and must--at the time of their election--be a resident of this state. Primary election information for the state of South Dakota may be found on the Secretary of State's website. South Dakota laws governing Primary Elections are found at SDCL 12-6 .

(This entry was originally written and posted by Candice Spurlin)